Sectional filing cabinet



' Jan. 7, 1941, F. E. GYMER El AL S'ECTIONAL FILING CABINET F iled Jun e 14, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORJ. FREDERICK. E. GYMER.

cm H s m S O a A s 5% A M H M Jan. 7, 1941 Filed June 14, 1940 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS'. FREDERICK. E. GYME|2 THOMAS S. 2058 ATTORNEYS.

Patented Jan. 7, 1941 11:.UNITED .srarss PATENT OFFICE 2,227,884 SECTIONAL' FILING CABINET Frederick E. Gymer, Mentor, and Thomas S.-Ross,

vvCleveland Heights,

hi0, assignors to Kenneth 1.0..Be'ck, Cleveland, and John G. Wall, Rocky River, .Ohio

. Application June 14, 1940,'Serial No.340,578

creasing. the capacity of: -suchi'flles was 1. needed.

Various. types of tllockingiadevices havew-heen: uti- 'lizediorisecuringt'he units:toz one anothenin a manner. to ;-prevent. .lateral: and; vertical separation, butzxalliof: .such locking: devices "with which l werare .familiar are. expensive toflmanufacture,

. considering. assembly '1 costs some are :of :com'plicated constructions; 'and;al1:haye:par.ts protrud- --able in thatxduring:shipping-and: storagesof the -20 jectto damagethroughibending or breaking;and

"is a plan view, and Fig.2'10 a=side:elevation,-" of the 'ingirom the-top, sides 'oritbottoms of theunits in :the forms of lugs;tears;etcz,'rwhich arerobjectionseparate. .units; such: protruding: parts: are subare unnecessary and unsightlynwhen: a. unit is used singly.

It-.--isthe general; purpose? of this :invention, therefore, :to obviate the foregoing. difficulties by eliminating all protruding parts from the units,

or rmQre specifically fromtheoasings of such units.

7 Another object "of -.the invention is to provide novel means forlooking the .units ofv a" sectional filing cabinetto oneranothen inzavmanner to prevent lateral or'vertical zdisplacemennrrwhich meansare detachable 1 and ,separateparts from thetunitsgare concealed -when in use;-.-are;neat

..between' the drawer bottoms and the casings, such means preferably .being inthe .form vof elongated,

relatively narrow glides.

A. further object tov provide. rollers. in .con- .junction with such. glides. for further. reducing .the frictionbetween the drawers. and their supports.

Still furtherand more limited1y, it. is a purpose .Oftheinvention to utilize the glides,.o-r.i thefglides and .rollers' withtheaxles oftthe latter;. as :the mean for locking .the, units :toron-ea'another.

":The foregoing objects and others hereinafter ap pearingare attained: in: theembodimenl'; of the invention illustrated in the accompanying draw-"- .:ings wherein Fig. 1: is a vertical sectionalrview,

taken on the line l-| of Fig; 2, of' a sectional filing cabinet comprising superimposed units" that z are lockedtogether by our; improved means; the

drawerof the top unit being-illustratedby brokendo lines and :as partially withdrawnfrom' its: casing,

the drawer of the bottom unit being'oznittedxand the method of inserting onecof thelocking devices illustrated;-Fig.' 2 is a sectionalplan onEthe line 2-2 f Fig; 1';"Fig. 3 is: a'sectional detail :-on'the: .l5 line 3-:-3.of' Fig. 1; Fig: 4. is a perspectiveviewof' the casing of one of the file units, a partxo-f the side wall being broken away to illustrate the rear openings in the bottom'wall of;the;casing;"Figs. 5, 6, '7 and 8 argperspective-views.ofitherpartsfrom which the casing. is. fabricated and Fig. 9

combinedglide; roller and locking: means :for securingthe units: together.

"Each filingunit ofathe cabinetfillustrateddn 1 isrdesignated,-geheral1y;;by the-reference character A, andthe unitsaremounted upon a base B, and surmounted "by aacap C. Each-unit A; wherein a drawer Doperates,-consists of armsingmade up-of actop wall a,- sidewalls athatare integral-with-theformer wall, and aseparate bottom wall 0. which fits between the side walls and bears: upon and is attached. to-(desirably by spot welding) flanges-a that are formedby turningthebottom edge portions of the-side wall 0/ inwardly. Fittedinto' the-rear end: of the tubuilar structure thusformed-isa back wall a that is-fianged rearwardlyz'about'its edges and spot welded'or otherwise secured.to=:the' top',bottom and sidewalls. Similarly fitted into the front of. '40

the structure is a rigid rectangular frame-a ,'preferably formed of strap metal, thesamebeing fastened,'as bywel'ding,'to the surrounding walls.

'In the embodiment of the invention hereindisa closed, two combined glides and locking means are used, and for cooperation therewith "the top wall ofweach unit A- is-provided with front openings a and rear openings of: that are, --respectively, in vertical alignment with front openings a and rear openings-a -of thebottom-wall a The front openings a as are-desirablyrectangurlar, whilethe ones at-the rear areshown ashaving their side I walls rearwardly divergent-i f-from a slight distance back of. the front walls of :said

rear openings .thereby toe-provide restrictedpore tions having parallel side walls at the front ends of the openings. Applied to the bottom wall a of each unit, in the vicinity of the openings a are guide means a the same being shown in the instant case as consisting of parts of a bent wire that may be welded to the bottom wall a The purpose of said guide means and the shape of the openings a will presently appear.

The openings of all units, that are intended to be used together in the building up of a cabinet, are similarly located so that when one unit is placed upon another the openings in the bottom wall of the upper unit will register with the openings in the topwall of the unit below.

The combined glides and locking means by t which the units are secured together, and which slidably support the drawers D, are designated generally by the reference character E, and each consists of a strip or member 6 of sheet metal or the like and intermediate its lateral edgesas at its longitudinal center-it is provided with a rib e', desirably struck up from the body of the strip. The rib extends to within a relatively short distance of the ends of the strip or member e, and forwardly thereof the strip or member is provided with a rectangular slot 6 from the sides of which ears e depend. These ears e correspond in length substantially with the front openings a and a of the unit A, and are spaced apart in a lateral direction substantially the width of said openings. The ears e are provided with bearing apertures that are in transverse alignment and are adapted to receive a locking pin e on which a roller e is mounted, the roller being of a diameter to dispose its top slightly above the top surface of the rib e when the parts are assembled. The rear end of the strip e is shown as reduced in width to provide a tongue that is turned downwardly and thence forwardly to produce a holding part or hook e. I

The top 17 of the base unit B is provided with front openings b and rear openings 1) that are of the same size and shape as the respective openings a and a in the bottom of 'a unit A and are so located as to register therewith when a drawer unit is placed squarely upon the base. When so arranged, the units may be secured together by two combined glides and locking means E, the manner of inserting same being illustrated in Fig. 1. With a unit A properly located upon the base unit, the person assembling the cabinet inserts the strip or member e through the open front of the unit (the locking pin and roller being removed during this phase of the operation), allowing the holding part or hook e to slide rearwardly over the bottom wall a If the hook does not happen to be in longitudlinal alignment with the rear opening a through which it is to be extended, it strikes one or the other of the rearwardly converging portions of the guide means a} disposed on either side of said opening and is deflected thereby into the area of the enlarged rear end of said opening, permitting the holding part or hook e to drop so that its forwardly extending lower end is below the plane of the wall therebelow which, in the present instance, is the top wall I) of the base unit B. Now by drawing the strip or member forwardly, the hook will be guided by the converging portions of the side walls of the opening through which it extends into the restricted front portion of said opening which is of substantially the same width as the holding part or hook e especially the vertical portion thereof. The forwardly extending lower end of the holding part or hook may be tapered forwardly if desired so as to enhance its engagement through the openings. After the holding part or hook has thus been inserted, the strip or member a is dropped upon the bottom wall 11 the ears e engaging through the aligned front openings of said wall and the wall therebelow. The roller 6 is then placed in the slot e with a central bore thereof aligned with the bearing apertures in the ears 2 after which the locking pin e is inserted through the ears and roller. The locking pin serves the two-fold purpose of rotatably supporting the roller, and of preventing the forward ends of the means E from lifting, the ends .of the pin, as shown best in Fig. 3, extending beneath the adjacent portions of the lower wall.

The drawer D of each unit may be of the usual type employed in filing or transfer cabinets, having relatively shallow side walls d that rise from the lateral edges of the bottom wall. A front d and a back d complete the drawer structure, and the back is shown as provided,

adjacent its upper end, with anti-friction means 61 which may consist of one or more rollers that are arranged to traverse the top wall a of the unit A. The front d is fitted with a drawer pull d and when the drawer is pulled forwardly thereby it will slide with a minimum amount of friction on the restricted top surfaces of the ribs or glides e and will travel .over and in contact with the rollers e When the drawer has been pulled out to such an extent that it over balances forwardly, practically all of its weight will rest on the rollers e and a lifting of its rear end will be opposed by the anti-friction means (1 Thus, easy action of the drawer is assured at all times. The drawer may be removed from the casing in the usual way by pulling it forwardly as far as it will slide and then lifting the front end to allow the rear end to escape through the front of the casing.

When the desired number of drawer units A have been placed one upon another upon the base unit B and locked together and to said base unit, the structure may be given a finished appearance by applying to the top drawer unit the cap C. This cap is desirably constructed of sheet metal and its rear end is formed to provide a hook c that may be engaged about the rear edges of the top wall a and the corresponding flange of the back wall a while the front portion of the cap is provided with depending spring tongues c that are arranged to engage through the openings a of the underlying wall a, the tongues being shaped to interlock with the rear edges of said openings.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim is:

1. In a, filing cabinet, two units arranged one against the other, each unit including a wall in juxtaposition to the wall of the other and each wall having spaced openings registering with the openings of the other wall, a member having a holding part adapted to be inserted through one pair of registering openings and shaped to embrace the adjacent edge portion of the wall more remote from said member, and means assoclated with said member and adapted to be projected through the other pair of registering openings and restrain the member against such movement as would disengage the aforesaid holding part from said edge portion.

2. In a filing cabinet, two units arranged one against the other, each unit including a wall in juxtapositionto the wallof the other and each -.w"all havingspaced openings registering with the openings. of the otherwall, and a ing -a :hol'ding part adapted to be inserted through .onepair of registering openings and shaped to embrace the adjacent edge portions of the walls when shifted laterally in said openmember havings, the member also including -a part arranged to be received by the other'pair of registering openings and hold themember against shifting in a-planesubstantially parallel to that of said walls.

1 3. In a filing cabinet, two units arranged one against the other, each unitincluding a wall in juxtaposition to the wall of the other and each openings of the other wall, a member having a holdingpart adapted to be inserted through one pair of-registering openings and shaped to embrace the adjacent edge portions of the walls when shifted laterally in said openings, the said member including a part adapted to be projected through the other pair of registering openings, the last mentioned part being constructed for cooperation with a locking device, and a locking device for application to said part on the side of said walls remote from the aforesaid member.

4. In a filing cabinet, two units arranged one against the other, each unit including a wall in juxtapostiion to the wall of the other unit and each wall having an opening registering. with the opening of the other wall, and a member having a holding part adapted to be inserted through said registering openings and serving to hold the walls against separation, the member comprising a glide for the support of a drawer.

5. In a filing cabinet, two units arranged one against the other, each unit including a wall in juxtaposition to the wall of the other unit and each wall having spaced openings registering with the openings of the other wall, and a member having a holding part adapted to be inserted through one pair of registering openings for holding the walls against relative shifting, and a part arranged to extend through the other pair of registering openings for retaining said member in place, the member comprising a glide for the support of a drawer.

6. In a filing cabinet, two units arranged one upon the other so that the bottom wall of the upper unit is contiguous to the top wall of the lower unit, each wall having a pair of openings that are substantially in alignment longitudinally of the unit, the openings of one wall registering with the corresponding openings of the other, a member disposed upon the bottom wall and provided with spaced par-ts projecting through the registering pairs of openings of the two walls, certain of said parts coacting with the underneath wall to hold the units together, said member having an elevated portion that constitutes a glide for a drawer.

'7. In a filing cabinet, two units arranged one upon the other so that the bottom wall of the upper unit is contiguous to the top wall of the lower unit, each wall having a plurality of pairs of openings with the openings of each pair substantially in alignment longitudinally of the units, the openings of one wall registering with the corresponding openings of the other, and a member associated with each pair of openings of said bottom wall, the same being disposed upon the wall and provided with spaced parts openings of' said pair and stitutes' a glide --fora drawer.

- 8.'--In a-filing "cabinet, two units arranged one upon the otherso thatthebottom wall of the -upper unit is contiguous I to the -top wall of the lowerunit, eachiwall having arplurality of pairs 0t openings with the openings of each pair substantially in alignment ongitudinally ofthe units,

the openings of one wall registering'with the corresponding openings of the other, and a member-associated with each pair of openings of said wall having spaced openings registering with the bottomwall, the same being disposed upon said wail and provided-with spaced parts projecting I through lithe openings'of said pair and through the corresponding openings of the said top wall,

certain of said parts coacting with the latter wall to hold the units together, said member being in the nature of a strip and having a longitudinally elevated rib that constitutes a glide for a drawer.

9. In a filing cabinet, two units arranged one upon the other so that the bottom wall of one unit is contiguous to the top wall of the other unit, each of said walls having front and rear openings that are substantially in alignment longitudinally of the unit, the openings of one wall registering with those of the other, and a strip like member having a holding part adapted to be inserted through one pair of registering openings for securing the walls against separation, and positioning means on said member adapted to be projected through the other pair of registering openings, said strip-like member including a longitudinal rib that serves as a glide for the support of a drawer.

10. In a filing cabinet, two units arranged one upon the other so that the bottom wall of the upper unit is contiguous to the top wall of the lower unit, each of said walls having front and rear openings that are substantially in alignment longitudinally of the unit, the openings of one wall registering with those of the other, a strip like member having a holding part adapted to be inserted through one pair of registering openings for securing the walls against separation, and positioning means on said member adapted to be projected through the other pair of registering openings, a locking device preventing the withdrawal of said positioning means, said strip-like member including a longitudinal rib that serves as a glide for the support of a drawer.

11. In a filing cabinet, two units arranged one juxtaposition to a wall of the other unit and each wall having spaced: openings registering with the openings of the other wall, a member disposed adjacent one wall and having a holding part adapted to be inserted through one pair of registering openings and shaped to ooact with the other wall to secure the walls together, the member including a part that is arranged to be projected through the other pair of registering openings to hold the member in place, and means for guiding the holding part toward the first mentioned pair of registering openings.

12. In a filing cabinet,'two units arranged one against the other, each unit including a wall in juxtaposition to a wall of the other unit and each wall having spaced openings registering with the openings of the other wall, a member disposed adjacent one wall and having a holding part adapted to be inserted through one pair of registering openings and shaped to coact with the other wall to secure the walls together, the member including a part that is arranged to be projected through the other pair of registering openings to hold the member in place, and means on the wall adjacent which said member is disposed and so related to the first mentioned pair of registering openings as to guide said holding parts toward the same when the member is being emplaced.

13. In a filing cabinet, two units arranged one upon the other so that the bottom wall of one unit is in juxtaposition to the top wall of the other, each of said' walls having a front and a rear opening that are substantially in alignment longitudinally of the unit and the openings of one wall registering with those of the other, a

strip-like member having a holding part at its rear end that is adapted to be inserted through the rear registering openings and shaped to embrace the adjacent edge portions of said walls when shifted laterally in said openings and being provided at its forward end with a slot and with apertured ears depending from the sides thereof that are adapted to be projected through the front registering openings thereby to hold the member from shifting in such manner as to release the aforesaid holding part, a roller adapted to be placed within the aforesaid slot and having a central bore arranged to align with the apertures of said ears, and a locking pin adapted to be inserted through said apertures and bore below the plane of the top wall of the underneath unit.

FREDERICK E. GYMER. THOMAS S. ROSS. 

